Paradoja de la Soledad

Edel Bordón’s work conceptualizes solitude as a state in which one can find
peace, contentment, and a forum for introspection. Paradoxically, he
portrays solitude as a state of loneliness and isolation.

Press Release

Lois Lambert Gallery presents the renownCuban artist Edel Bordón in his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles,“Paradoja de la Soledad” or “Paradox of Solitude”, a collection of oilpaintings on paper that evoke a content but melancholy feeling.Bordón’s work conceptualizes solitude as a state in which one can findpeace, contentment, and a forum for introspection. Paradoxically, heportrays solitude as a state of loneliness and isolation. Bordón oftenuses one figure per composition and in many instances he limitsthe range of facial expression seen in that portrait. In one piece thepainting depicts a boy with his shoulders hunched over and his eyespeering down. The piece is fairly abstracted but the mannerisms Edelchooses to emphasize powerfully evoke a stark sense of aloneness.Other pieces evoke in the viewer a smile as if they have discovered ahumorous secret in Bordón’s imagery.Edel’s stream of consciousness approach and use of color furtherrealize the paradoxical nature of his work. Bordón uses experimentaltechniques with his oils often diluting them to a wash more traditionallyseen in watercolors and gouache. By making the pigments transparent,Bordón creates a subdued color palette that reveals an emotion thatis neither happiness or sadness but a complicated combination of thetwo.Bordón’s process is intuitive. The artist doesn’t start with a formed ideaof what he will paint. Instead, as he paints, the subject materializes onthe paper. Edel pulls from his unconscious primary processes withevery stroke of paint or line. Bordón’s hope is the viewer can enjoyhis artwork from a similar place of pure pleasure, free of any sort ofintellectualism, generating a sensual and emotional effect.